Club could face expulsion if they don’t calm crowds
We are not in the heyday of crowd trouble anymore, far from it.
While crowd disorder and rioting were common in the 1970’s and 80’s, It is now a rare thing to see and that unmistakably is a good thing.
However some leagues are still blighted, the Eastern Bloc leagues still see trouble as do some African countries.
India is not a name you would put at the top of that list, yet East Bengal FC are facing a ban from the AFC Cup should they not take steps to control their fans.
The Kolkata club have been fined heavily twice after supporters let of flares and threw things onto the pitch.
According to Goal India,Club Secretary Kalyan Majumdar speaking to the Times of India said: ”
“We have already been fined twice — INR 4,057,80 and INR 3,38,150 in successive seasons — after spectators burst firecrackers in the stands and threw missiles on to the ground.”
“A repeat of such incidents could see the AFC take a stronger action against us. We could be asked to play behind closed doors or even be expelled from the tournament.”
Should East Bengal make it through the semi-finals then they face the possibility of missing the first three I-League games of the season.
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